This is a good day for the Transformer Prime. First, Asus announced that it would be releasing a bootloader unlocking tool for the new tablet. In the same statement, the company said that it will be getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich on January 12. Now hacker Justin Case has released a method that will let you root the first Tegra 3 tablet.

While the bootloader unlock will make the tablet much more hackable, rooting it will allow access for root apps and may open the door to custom ROMs. Custom kernels will have to wait for the bootloader to be unlocked.

This method involves some advanced command line stuff, so it isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll also need to have ADB (Android Debug Bridge) access, which lets you hack into your tablet on a developer level.

How to root

1. First you’ll need ADB access on your PC. If you don’t have this yet, install the Android SDK.